Dry mix flours comprising fats, shortenings, and other lipid sources, for use in the preparation of tender cooked bakery products have been well documented in the art. For example, Estabrook et al, U.S. Pat. No. 1,117,012 discloses a mixture of wheat flour with comminuted hardened oil useful in the manufacture of biscuits. Ellis, U.S. Pat. No. 1,417,893 discloses an oil product comprising paraffin oil and cotton oil having a melting point of about 60.degree. C. for use in baking preparations such as cakes or biscuits which may include flour or other perishable ingredients. Chapin, U.S. Pat. No. 2,392,833 discloses a comminuted shortening product comprising any number of oils, such as cotton seed oil, corn oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and the like combined with colloidal agents useful in the emulsification of fat, and ultimately for inclusion into baking products such as breads, cakes, donuts,, and the like. Oberholtzer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,212,903 discloses a frozen biscuit dough prepared with coagulated vegetable oil in the form of a salad dressing-type material, that is an emulsion such as mayonnaise.
Further, Colby, U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,213 discloses a flour mix containing autonomous particles of shortening which are encapsulated so as to allow for a free-flowing flour. Hartley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,928,646 discloses a process where the blending of temperature-sensitive constituents, such as flour, salt, milk, sugar, and the like with shortening agents to provide a manufacturable dough. Wilmes, U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,673 discloses a frozen pizza dough having a mixture of high protein and low protein wheat flours and containing a flaked solid fat constituent of specific dimensions. The disclosed fat pieces having a melting point ranging from about 118.degree. to 128.degree. F. Meraj et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,290 discloses dough products which are produced by applying shortening flakes to a dough and then coating the dough with a light batter. Belanger et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,233 discloses flakes of baking shortening or lard useful in the formulation of pie crust doughs.
Also noteworthy, Tucker et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,563 discloses a refrigerated biscuit dough comprising a shortening which has a solids to fat index allowing for the retention of a certain percentage of solid shortening at temperatures in excess of 120.degree. F. However, of total shortening concentration, Tucker et al teaches at the most 50% in the form of chips and, at most, 12 wt-% of the total formulation. Parker, U.S. Pat. No. 3,255,016 discloses a pastry dough comprising shortening present in the dough in discrete cubes, the shortening generally comprising cotton seed oil and oleostearin.
However, the compositions disclosed above generally use a shortening composition which has a lower initial solids concentration at 50.degree. F. or a melting point far in excess of that necessary to provide a bakery product which has uniform physical proportions, as well as the desired texture, and palatability. The result is a Solid Fat Index (SFI) which has a flatter slope or a higher melting point.
Prior art dough products generally cannot prevent tilting of the baked product while baking, particularly in a high air velocity oven. The tilt is generally due to the inability to control the height of the product. Usually the side of each product that is towards the center of the baking sheet will rise more quickly than the side that is away from the sheet center during baking. This uneven rise during baking causes the product to have a tilted appearance which is not pleasing to the consumer. Consumers generally desire baked products such as biscuits to have a uniform appearance, for example, uniform height, circumference, as well as a browned outer layer and tender interior.
Many factors have combined to result in dough products which are difficult to produce in a storage stable form and ultimately used to provide a baked product having a uniform physical appearance as well as the appropriate interior texture, exterior crispy layer, and taste.
Accordingly, a need exists to provide a dough mix and refrigerated dough product which will provide a biscuit or other baked good product having a uniform physical appearance as well as a pleasing taste and texture.